Somaliland rejects visas issued by Somalia and tightens control over its airpsace

Somaliland has declared that visas and travel authorisations issued by neighbouring Somalia are not valid to enter its territory.

In an official directive released on Sunday, Somaliland’s Immigration and Border Control Agency said individuals holding these documents would be denied entry.

Instead, foreign national should seek to obtain a visa on arrival at one of Somaliland’s two international airports, or in an embassy, mission or consulate.

Somaliland has established diplomatic representations in a handful of countries, including Kenya, Ethiopia and the United States.

The directive came a day after president Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, known as Irro, declared Somalia’s new e-Visa system as “legally null.”

After a visit to the ministry of civil aviation, the president also reaffirmed the sovereignty of the self-declared republic over “its land, sea and airspace.”

“The airspace of the Republic of Somaliland is a matter of national dignity, sovereign obligation, and strategic priority. Our nation will neither compromise nor delegate the guardianship of its skies," President Irro said in a statement on Saturday.

As of Monday, all aircrafts entering or exiting Somaliland’s airspace are also mandated to obtain formal clearance from the breakaway region’s authorities.

These moves signal Somaliland’s attempt to tighten control over its borders and reinforce its sovereignty.

Somaliland broke away from Somalia in 1991 but has not been internationally recognised as an independent state.